lights

[gator51]

does a t-5 REPLACE the MH's or is ment to be used together,your opinons please

 

[Meche]

Welcome to RF gator51.

A. either or both. They may be used to supplement a (usually) high temperature MH bulb to make the total output a little cooler. However, they are also used as a primary source of light for many tanks, including mine.

 

[burning2nd]

im runing just t5's

very successfully

 

[Krish]

I agree...It can be used as supplemental lighting or your primary source of lighting. People are actually keeping high light demanding corals with T-5's alone just keep in mind that T-5's, from what I understand, need changing more often than say a MH bulb which can get quite costly when you have to change in some cases 5 or more bulbs every so often.

 

[Scooterman]

I vote MH & if necessary T5 supplements! If you’re wanting to keep anything, the cost of running T5 vs. mh is almost a wash but T5 alone are great for almost anything you want to keep but MH if set up right hands down will punch more PAR per lamp than any florescent ever made. I rather keep two mh running over 8 t5's to get the same light & not having to replace as many lamps over time. One thing to consider the shipping surcharges on the longer fluorescents lamps will be costly but I think anything 4ft & less isn't surcharged.

 

[burning2nd]

i was told that t5's last longer then Mh's?


Im keeping a H. Magnifica with no problems under t5's

 

[Meche]

i was told that t5's last longer then Mh's?

and one MH bulb costs about as much as 4 HO bulbs.